2424 Eastern Ave.

Margaret Ann's Family Notes

The year was 1929.  My grandparents had recently become parents, with eighteen years between the oldest and the youngest -- Edith and Margaret Ann.  Their home on Columbia Ave. was going to be demolished and it was time to move on.  Based on Margaret Ann's note, the home they built at 2424 Eastern Ave. was purchased for $5500.  It had two bedrooms on the first floor, an upstairs dormer and INDOOR PLUMBING!  It's location, just across the street from Highlands School, provided great views of the river from the dining room window.  Aunt Ella was now widowed and moved with the family of seven.  I don't know how they all lived there, but Margaret Ann's notes reflect "good years for us children  -- we had love, support and fun."


But then the world came crashing down.  This was the year of the 1929 Stock Market Crash.  Fortunately, Pop was already a Foreman in charge of a Car Barn for the Street Railway Company.  Since this was the beginning of the Great Depression, having a job was such a victory in itself.  Here is how the family is listed in the U.S. 1930 Census:

Click to Enlarge

The house has undergone a lot of changes over the years.  The once proud house has been through many transformations.  The once proud house with potted flowers, trimmed bushes,an awning over the porch and lace curtains in the win has suffered over time.

Fred, "Bud", Norine, Peg and Bud's dog.

As our cousin Rose has said, the house was painted in "bus company yellow."  Unfortunately, I don't have any color pictures of the way I remember it.  In 2001, I took this picture of the house.  The house pictured to the left was just torn down this year. In the shadow to the left is Highland School.  This shell of a building is now empty and for sale.  Much of Eastern, now Riverside Dr., has been purchased and the houses torn down and replaced with upscale condominiums.

From this home, the next generation was launched.  I can still see Pop sitting in a chair chewing tobacco just inside those dining room windows in full view of his beloved river.